


A place to belong

by OtaGamerKorin



Category: Orbiting Human Circus of the Air (Podcast)
Genre: And feels, Confessions, Fluff, Hope I did her justice!, Julian is a smol nervous babbu, Leticia's name is SALTier for a reason, Little cameo from rotatinghumancircus's OC Melody, Multi, OHC Gift Exchange 2017, Oh there's some drinkin in there too, Short description of a panic attack at one point, The sass is strong with these ones, so many feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-20 16:35:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13150632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OtaGamerKorin/pseuds/OtaGamerKorin
Summary: John Cameron's house has many beds and many visitors.Unfortunately, it's missing the person he wants there most.(In which shopping is done, parties are had, the crew gets drunk and people are complete idiots about their emotions.)My (late) gift for the 2017 OHC Gift Exchange for the lovely 221BCecil!





	A place to belong

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas everybody! And hello giftee! You asked for some fluffy Julian/John goodness, so here's 17,000 words of it! There will be feels in there on the way, but this is OHC, so they were bound to show up at some point. I hope you like it! (Also, apologies that it's late!)  
> (On a side note, for inspiration I used creepyknees's designs for Julian, John and Laticia and sketchyhandrawn's Jacques.)

_John Cameron’s house has many beds._

_Some had been there since the very beginning, whilst others had appeared over time. Leticia’s was one of the former. She’d been John’s confidant and friend for so many years he’d quite forgotten the number. They’d been a pair since back before he owned the house, before he was even the host of the Circus. All the way back to the time when he’d been a stage performer and she a mere stage tech, they’d been practically glued at the hip. Where one went, the other followed. So when he’d struck it big, it was no surprise that she quickly had her own bit of space on his ever growing property. Leticia’s bed was always as neat and well maintained as the room it resided in, the sheets pulled taut and tucked after each use, the blankets and pillows orderly._

_As time went on, John slowly came to find that this was not the case with all the sleeping arrangements he acquired._

_Jacques bed was always in disarray, the blankets and sheets tugged loose to form a sort of cocoon in the mattresses’ center. Try as the host might to keep it in some semblance of order, his handiwork always seemed to be undone the instant he turned his back, whether the brash stage hand had visited or not._

_Pierre and François were a bit of a mix. The two beds shared a room and were kept reasonably tidy, with the occasional wayward pillow or ruffled comforter, but somehow constantly ended up shoved up against each other. No one was entirely sure what that meant, whether the two were together, just got cold easily, or were simply touch-starved (lord knows everyone at the circus seemed to be) and doing some platonic cuddling, but the others seemed to have a silent agreement to let sleeping dogs lie and thus it stayed a mystery._

_John Cameron’s house had many beds and many visitors._

_But he still got lonely sometimes._

_He awoke one morning to the soft sunlight streaming through his window and lay there blinking drowsily at the ceiling. Something seemed off, and it took a bit for his sleep addled mind to clear enough to realize what. The house was silent. No snoring from the surrounding rooms, creak of people walking around or clattering from the distant kitchen._

_Suddenly feeling even more exhausted than he’d been pre-sleep, the host gave a sigh, rubbed a hand over his eyes. After a moment he finally clambered out of bed, snatching up his robe and padding out into the hallway. The house, which was really more of a mansion at this point, was really more often full than empty these days, so the stillness simply felt...wrong._

_He made his way through the silence to the spacious kitchen, bare footfalls echoing loudly with each step. Setting the coffee to brew, he leaned against the counter and gazed out tall windows at the sunrise in the distance. Looking out over the city from his perch amongst the hills, he could just see the spire of his beloved tower in the distance. At the sight he felt some of the heaviness in the air fade, a small smile stretching across his face as he fetched his drink and returned to the window. John was an easily troubled man, yet the mere thought of the ballroom always proved capable of easing his spirits (even if the things that happened in the ballroom tended to make his blood pressure skyrocket.) Yet even the memories of his cherished work couldn’t entirely keep away his misplaced anxiety as he continued on with his morning, and so as he stood before his front door, posed to leave, his frame was ridged with tension._

“Stop acting like a child John.” _The host muttered to himself, brushing his clothes down nervously._

“You’re the host of the Orbiting Human Circus, for gods sake! If you let a touch of...something ruffle you so badly, it’s a wonder the show didn’t go up in flames ages ago.”

_Taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders, he opened the door and made his way down the path to his car._

“We just need to push through this...like we always do.”

*

_For how shakily the morning had begun, the work day seemed to be going off without a hitch. The performances were nearly arranged, the set was finished, there wasn’t a single animal on the loose and as of yet no janitors related mishaps. As the sun set, the show began and he found himself slipping into the familiar routine, practically exuding charm and class despite the knot of stress still sitting in his stomach._

“Now ladies and gentlemen, we’ve arrived at our last guest of the evening. I take great pleasure in introducing our act; the monsieur’s Géroux and their amazing acrobatic hounds!”

A spotlight flared to life as John threw a hand out towards the edge of the stage, smiling invitingly as the _performers filtered onto stage with him. A few words of greeting then he was quietly slipping away as the music started and they leapt into position. As he entered the cool darkness of the backstage he let his stage persona slip a bit, smile faltering with a little sigh of relief as he swiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. Bright stage lights and a close fitting suit weren’t always the best combination._

_As he made a beeline for his chair, a movement caught his eye and he paused. In the shadows near the curtain there was a figure with a broom, quietly sweeping. Every so often they would look up and out onto the stage with an excited little smile. Feeling a soft smile of his own grow on his face, the host turned and made his way over, coming to a stop just behind the young man._

“Having a good evening Julian? I haven’t seen you around today _.” He quietly asked. The young man gave a quiet squeak of a cry and whirled around, fumbling his broom in the process. John caught it before it could hit the ground and watched as the boy flailed a bit, hands seeming unsure what do with themselves._

“A-Ah, Mr. Cameron! I didn’t realize you were there!”

_The older man gave a chuckle at the boys panic, waving a hand to calm him as he handed back the broom._

“No, my apologies Julian. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

_At that the janitor relaxed and gave the host a wide warm smile._

“It’s no problem Mr. Cameron. I was just distracted by the show. It’s so wonderful this evening!”

_The two turned to watch as the two performers and their canines twirled and flipped around each other_

“That it is Julian. Must say, my mysterious act finder certainly came through this time.” _He replied, lowering his voice at the last bit and leaning sideways closer to the younger man. Unseen by the host, Julian buried his face giddily into the cowl neck of his sweater, grinning happily. He’d found the troupe practicing during one of his many nightly walks in the nearby park and had kept the business card they’d given him on hand just for cases like this._

“Let’s just pray they never run out of material. Sure, the crew could probably pull something together, but I’d just be sitting around like some sad lump the whole time...Makes me wonder why you all even need me at all.”

_His expression became melancholy for a moment and Julian gasped, softly grabbing the man’s arm._

“Oh Mr. Cameron! Don’t say that!” _He quietly cried._

“Sure, Leticia and Jacque and everyone are really important, but you’re the voice of the circus! Without you, the show wouldn’t have that spark that everybody loves! You make it special.”

_It seemed to take a moment for the young man’s words to sink in, but when they did it was as though the host transformed. His shoulders straightened proudly, smile growing wide and honest and eyes twinkling kindly as he looked down at him. He reached out and gently clasped the boy on the shoulder, his hand warm and comforting._

“Perhaps you’re right Julian. Thank you for the sentiment. I truly appreciate it.”

_The young man smiled in return and looked away bashfully, releasing the man’s sleeve. It wasn’t an expression that that showed up on the host’s face very often, which was certainly a shame. It looked very good on him if you were to ask the janitor..._

“Please shut up.” _Julian muttered under his breath and John turned back to him, eyebrow cocked._

“Hmm, did you say something?”

“Ah, nothing at all!”

_The music over the speakers suddenly thundered to a stop and applause erupted from beyond the curtain. John seemed to pop back into movement once more, quickly straightening his jacket and smoothing his hair, throwing a sideways smile at Julian._

“That’s my que!”

_As the host strode out onto stage he felt more energized that he had all night, his worries suddenly forgotten as his dazzling grin slid back into place._

 “The monsieur’s Géroux everyone! Weren’t they great!?” _He asked, sweeping an arm out as the men and their dogs took a bow. The host suddenly felt brimming with energy, practically exuding pep and excitement_

_The crowd gave another round of applause as the group exited, quieting when John settled near the center of the stage, hands folded behind his back._

“Now, dear audience, the night has grown late, and our show is almost done.”

_He quickly stole a peek towards where Leticia stood offstage. She glanced at something just out of eyeline and gave him the thumbs up. He gave her a tiny nod then addressed the audience once more._

“But of course, we couldn’t leave you without the main act, now could we?”

_Smiling once more toward the backstage, he gave a soft call._

“Julian?”

_The janitor emerged from beyond the curtain, singlehandedly pushing the tape machine. As they’d discovered, there was quite a lot of strength hidden in that skinny frame and the young man didn’t even seem to be breaking a sweat as he pushed the contraption to center stage, smiling shyly at the audience as he went._

_After the...incident, the crew had made a point of trying various ways to include Julian amongst their number. One such way was allowing him to present the presentation. He already knew how to operate the machine, so it had only been a matter of coaching him on ques and timing. Settling the contraption in place, he took his place between John and player._

“Now, ladies and gentlemen, we present tonight’s feature presentation.”

_He nodded to the boy and with a flick of the switch the tape spun to life._

_As they all settled in to listen to the tale unfold, he could help but feel his gaze pulled toward the man next to him. The janitor was watching the machine with rapture, sporting the same excited expression he’d worn earlier that night. John felt a warmth settle in his chest at the sight. To find someone as purely fascinated with the magic of the show itself, rather than the wealth and fame it brought with it, was a rare occurrence. And yet he’d never noticed. Before, his opinion of the janitor had been a negative one. He’d viewed him first as a nuisance, a mere annoyance and distraction, then later as a threat once things had begun to hit the fan. True, he’d had his occasional moment of kindness and sympathy towards the individual, but for the most part he’d pushed him away._

_And then there was the...incident. It’d felt as though a cornerstone had been pulled from the foundation of the show, all of them suddenly left starring at a gaping void they’d never realized had been filled before. They’d been left to watch as everything crumbled around them while a person they’d never made the effort to know clung to life miles away. And John had hated himself, hated all the mistakes he’d ever made regarding him, all the wrongs he’d committed to the younger man._

_Then he was back, leading the very creature that could save them. And they’d clung to him like a young child to their stuffed animal, only now recognizing him as the thing holding them all together._

_In the following days, John finally began to take notice of the things he’d seemed to ignore before. The shocking cold of the janitor’s room as he went to fetch the saws for a performance, the stiffness the younger seemed to walk with some days that John immediately recognized as from sleeping on something uncomfortable, the fact he never seemed to see the boy eat. A heater was installed in the closet (to protect the equipment from cold damage), the tiny cot replaced with a proper twin size (after Jacque ‘accidentally’ broke a leg off the former), a surplus of take-out and various other food frequently beginning to appear in the cafeteria (supposedly for the cast, yet none of the others dare touch it till some had been taken.) He’d even tried getting the president to give the boy a good raise, or at least a decent living space, but the fool just didn’t seem to get just. how. important. the janitor was to them, and refused. Of course, the younger man was kept intentionally oblivious to this. He had a surprising amount of pride as they’d learned and likely was too humble to take the help if offered outright. Still, they tried their best, doing their damndest to make up for lost time._

_It was when he’d accidentally walked in on the boy once again in the staff showers (Leticia having of course re-instated his privileges to that and all other parts of the tower shortly after his return) that it finally hit him._

_He’d been out of coffee that morning and in his sleepy daze hadn’t noticed the sound of running water as he entered to dampen a cloth for his oncoming headache. It wasn’t till a burst of steam blasted him in the face a few feet in the door that he actually looked up and took notice of his surroundings. The first thing he’d noticed was the running shower head and the next was the thin figure standing beneath it. The click of the door swinging closing behind him drew the other man’s attention and he looked over, both freezing when their gazes met. Luckily the janitor-no, Julian. This was Julian to him now, not some mere worker- was partially hidden behind a low wall from this angle, but he still got more than a good look at him from the hips up._

_The younger man’s curly hair had been relaxed by the heat of the water, the loose ringlets spilling down his neck and face, wide eyes staring out at him from behind them. The air was scented vanilla from the suds in his locks. (The collection of bathing supplies sitting nearby had been promptly shoved into the closet by Leticia after a falling bucket of oil had soaked him a few weeks earlier.) His skin was pale (always had been, even if it had been made worse by his now mostly nocturnal lifestyle, not that John would know that) and smooth, glistening slightly under the lights above. For once shed of his baggy clothes, John could finally see just how thin he was, not emaciated thank god, but enough so that ribs pressed gently beneath the skin as he shifted and hips formed a sharp v. It was as his gaze trailed over the younger man that he saw them. Four thick jagged lines stretching horizontally from shoulder to hip, still barley just healed and an angry pink. His heart dropped. There could be only one thing that could be from. And it was his fault. His fault, his fault..._

_Julian’s little squeak of panic is what snapped the world back into motion and, now realizing that he was standing there staring at a very wet, very naked young man, the host’s face flared red and he whipped around on his heel, shouting an apology as he fled. He didn’t stop running until the door of his dressing room slammed shut behind him. He took a moment to pause, breathing heavily, before collapsing onto the nearby couch and letting out a muffled scream into his hands. How did he get into these situations? After a few minutes he had calmed enough to remove his hands and slumped backwards with a sigh, mind running over the events. God, he really needed to learn to knock. His thought drifted back to the scars and he frowned. If only he hadn’t been such an overdramatic fool, he wouldn’t have needed saving._

_The man blinked, mind backtracking a bit. Saved. He’d been saved. Somehow he’d never really thought about it much before, just its consequences, but it was true. Julian had saved him._

_He sat up, staring at the ground with a confused expression as he thought. But why? Why had the young man saved him? True, the boy had been a fan of sorts towards him, but after everything he’d done, how cruel he’d been, what could possibly have pushed him to risk his own life to protect John’s?_

_Unless he just... cared. Cared more than any of them knew._

_There had been so many signs and he’d just... never noticed. All the times the boy had noticed Jacque begin to shake from stress and helped him sneak out for smoke breaks (ha, as though they didn’t notice). All the times cups of coffee or tea would mysteriously appear when Leticia was at the end of her rope. The leaps and bounds beyond normal kindness he went for John himself. He didn’t just care about the show. He cared about **them**._

_John felt warmth flood through him, a wide smile spreading across him face. Lord, this boy was the blessing none of them deserved. And yet here they were, with an angel in human disguise amongst their ranks._

_Reaching up to remove the towel that still hung around his neck, the host suddenly became aware of how heavily his heart was pounding. The warmth permeating him seemed heavily focused there as well. Odd. Last time he felt like this he’d been young and in...Something seemed to click and the man flushed to the tip of his ears. Oh. Oh god. **Oh god**.  _

_Leticia found him later, still red as a tomato, pondering how the hell he’d ended up like this and halfway through a bottle of wine._

_That, uh, that had been an interesting night for the show._

_A small nudge to his hand pulled him back from his ponderings and he looked over to see Julian glancing over at him with a curious look. He gave the younger man a smile and he brightened, turning back to the tape player. John must have been spacing out much longer than he’d though, for soon the story ended and the audience gave their applause. The host nodded to Julian then strode to the edge of the stage as the janitor wheeled the contraption away._

“Now, my dear ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the end of our show. I wish you all sweet dreams and hope that you join us again tomorrow. Goodnight.”

_He took a bow as they gave a standing ovation then exited with a wave, the backstage already a buzz of activity as they prepared for tear down. Instinctively his gaze flickered about, taking stock of his crew. For a moment he was worried when he couldn’t find a familiar beanie amongst the crowd, but his emotions stilled when he saw a flicker of movement near the Orkestral’s cage. Mind back on track, he make a beeline for his dressing room. He had a schedule to work out for tomorrow._

_By the time he finished the others had already mostly left and he found himself following their lead. As he settled into his car, John suddenly realized the weight in his gut was gone. In fact, now that he thought about it, it had been gone since he talked to..._

_The man felt himself flush a bit and smile warmly in spite of himself._

_The drive home was a quiet one. The streets tended to be fairly empty this late at night most days anyway, and the snowfall from earlier that day seemed to have driven the last few stragglers back into their warm homes. Calm jazz drifted from his radio, filling the quiet cabin the vehicle, and he was half-tempted to roll down the windows and allow it to pour into the silence outside. However, the host preferred his nose stay un-nipped, so he was content to simply drive along in peace._

_When he finally reached home and made his way inside, he became aware of the change in atmosphere. It was still as a tomb and whereas the silence outside had been comforting this was just somber and empty. He felt his mood drop once more, suddenly aware of how alone he was. He tilted his head as he gazed around at his surroundings, almost seeming to question the house itself. There had to be something he could do about this._

_A thought flashed through his mind and it was as though a light had gone off over his head. Struck with inspiration, the man straightened with a smile and set off into the house, moving with purpose._

_If the house was empty, then he’d just need to fill it._

*

“Everyone! Everyone, can I have your attention please?”

_Activity across the stage stilled as they all turned towards the voice, finding their host standing stage center. Once he was sure they were listening, the man folded his hands behind him with a smile, gaze flickering over them as he addressed the gathered crowd._

“Now, as you all know, tomorrow is Christmas Eve. It’s been a long an hectic year, and yet we’ve managed to make out way through it.”

“Barely!” _Jacque called from somewhere in the wings and John shook his head as laughter rippled through the gathered cast._

“So, as thanks for all your hard work, tomorrow night I will be holding a grand party for you all at my estate!”

_Excited chattering broke out through the crowd and he waved his hands to once more catch their attention even as they talked amongst themselves._

“Attendance no way mandatory of course. I know this is quite late notice and many of you likely already have your own plans. But all of you, each and every member of the cast, are more than welcome to drop in if you’re able.”

_Julian’s face dropped a bit at the words, heart suddenly uncertain. Surely he didn’t think he wouldn’t be counted?_

“But I’m not part of the show. I don’t even work for them.” He quietly argued back to the voice in his head.

“I’m just...I’m just the janitor...”

_He trailed off, eyes downcast as the host continued onstage._

_Oh Julian..._

“If you are able to join us, all I ask is that you dress well. This will be a semi-formal event after all. Now then, the show waits for no one! Let us continue our preparations! Ah, Leticia, could you join me for a moment?”

_The woman left the other stage hands to their work and made her way to the host, the man quickly herding her out of earshot._

“Tish, could you do me a favor?”

_The Parisian raised an eyebrow, gaze one of deadpan suspicion._

“Does it involve smuggling alcohol in here?”

Wait, wh-wha-? No!” _The man stuttered, stumbling over his words and she grinned a tad._

“Oui John. What do you need?”

“Tomorrow, could you drop by the tower and make sure Julian...?”

_He too trailed off, making a sort of ‘you know?’ gesture and she nodded. They’d both caught of the look on the janitor’s face earlier. Obviously, despite their best efforts, the fact that they all truly considered the young man a part of the show hadn’t really sunk in for said man yet._

“He truly doesn’t get it...” _She muttered, both glancing off in the young man’s direction. They watched as he went back to his sweeping, movements slow and somber, and eventually disappeared back behind the curtains._

“Which is exactly why we need him to be at that party.” _John replied with a firm hand on her shoulder._

“Just please, make sure he’s wearing something, anything, nice. It could be a ballgown for all I care.” _He continued and she snickered._

“Oh you only wish.”

_He flushed deeply at the thought and shoved her off towards the backstage._

“Oh, just get to work!”

_The woman let out a peal of laughter as she darted away and the host gave a sigh, shaking his head with a small smile._

“These people will be the death of me...”

*

_If John was the voice of the Circus and Julian the heart, then Leticia was the backbone. And as thus, she’d become accustomed to the life of an early riser._

_The sun was barely over the horizon when she sat up in bed and stretched, spine giving a satisfying pop. She leaned over to give her girlfriend a kiss, the other woman making a sleepy noise and stealing the blanket, before slipping out of bed. There were things to do and places to be today._

_She was prepped, dressed and out of the house before the rest of the city had even gotten to its coffee. All the better, these roads could be hell on a normal winter day, let alone Christmas Eve. Ever the strategist, she planned to get as much of her last-minute shopping done before the crowds could hit as possible._

_Just as she fired up her car and moved to turn towards the retail area of the city, the familiar shape of the tower flickered in her peripheral. She paused to look at it, the gears turning in her head. A thought surfaced and slowly she smiled, pulling the wheel around towards the structure. A little bit of company couldn’t hurt._

_She let herself in, waving to one of the security guards, and made a beeline for the elevator. She might be in a chipper mood, but there was no way she was climbing that many stairs this morning._

_As she drew up beside the small closet door, she paused for a moment. Julian always seemed to have a perpetual tiredness hanging around him. No one really knew how much sleep the young man got, other than they few times they’d found him passed out in random corners (and an air vent that one time). Should she really be waking him this early? She gnawed her lip for a moment before firming her stance. No, if she was going to do this she needed to do it now. They still had a few days off after this, he could always sleep then. With a decisive nod, she reached out and rapped on the door with a soft call._

“Juliea? Are you in there?”

_There was a long stretch of silence before she heard shuffling from within and the door creaked open. A familiar face peeked out around it, wiping the sleep from its eyes. She felt a stab of guilt, but smiled as he saw her and tried to speak around his yawn._

“Leticia? What are you doing here? Don’t you have today off?”

“Oh, oui. I just have some business in town. I just stopped by to ask if you’d like to accompany me. I know you don’t get to go out on the town very often.”

_He blinked at her sleepily as he processed the information before giving her a smile._

“I’d love to help.”

“Perfect. Ah, also, are you planning on attending John’s party this evening? I could drive us both.”

_At her question his face fell, gaze sadly looking down at the ground._

“I...I don’t think so. It’s...not really my thing...”

“Oh, come now. I insist. No one holds a better celebration this time of year than John.” _She pushed, and his face sobered even further._

“But...it’s just for members of the show, right? I don’t think I’d be welcome...” _He replied and she sighed. Right to the point it seemed. Stepping closer, she grabbed him by the shoulders and leaned in close, the young man sucking in a breath as she got right up in his face._

“Julian, listen to me. I don’t care what you think. You are a part of this show. You always have been and always will be. We were just too thick headed to notice. So you are coming to this party.”

_He stared at her for a long moment, then rapidly blinked a few times, eyes growing glassy as he spoke, voice cracking just a tiny bit._

“Okay...”

“Good.” _She replied with a firm nod, releasing him and turning away._

“Now, pull out your best for later and get ready. I’ll be back in a moment.”

_Leaving the boy to his own devices, she made her way to the cafeteria. It was one of the few places in the building that never actually closed, what with the constant cycle of guards going in and out of the place. Mercifully, the coffee machine had already been fired up and she made quick work of procuring two cups. She sipped at one, black as sin, just the way she liked it, while she loaded the other with milk and a generous dose of honey. Drinks secured, she made her way back. The closet door was ajar when she arrived and she peeked inside. Julian was rising to his feet beside a chest in the corner, one of said containers contents gently unfurling in his grip as he stood. Sensing it was safe to enter, she nudged the door open with her shoulder and walked in._

“Julian, I got you-“

_As light poured in through the open door and she got a better look at the object, the stage manager froze._

_She honestly wasn’t sure what he was holding. It was **probably** a suit, but looked at least a few sizes too big and made of an ugly greyish brown fabric. Certainly not something suitable for tonight’s party. In fact, she was fairly certain John might have a heart attack if the janitor showed up wearing that. And not the good sort._

“Er, Julian? What is that?” _She asked, trying to sound casual, and the boy turned to her with a slightly confused look._

“It-It’s my suit?” _He replied, seeming puzzled and she bit her lip._

“Is that...all the formal wear you have?” _She tried gingerly and he glanced back at the chest for a moment, as though a tux would have appeared in the time he’d looked away._

“Um, yes?” _He quietly replied, wincing a bit at her grimace._

“Is...is it really that bad?” _He hesitantly asked, and the woman swapped the cups to one arm as she rubbed the back of her neck._

“No, just...out of fashion.” _She replied and the silence was nearly smothering as he stared at her. Finally she gave a sigh, tiredly running a hand over her face._

“Alright, no, it is hideous. Luckily, we are in Paris. This shouldn’t be hard to fix.”

_The young man gave her a startled look of confusion as she grabbed his arm, giving him just enough time to grab his jacket before she was dragging him out the door._

“L-Leticia?! What did you mean? Where are we going?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

_She ignored his questions, simply leading the way out of the building, then more or less shoving the poor befuddled boy into her car once they reached it. He finally fell quiet once he realized she wasn’t planning to answer anytime soon and turned to observe the city rolling by outside. After a few minutes of silence, Leticia glanced over to check on him, her eyes meeting an adorable sight. The young man was practically flattened against the window, eyes wide with wonder as he stared out at the city around them, seemingly dazzled by the early morning light on the snow._

“Well, you seem to be enjoying yourself _.” She chuckled and he looked over at her with a bashful smile._

“Ah, sorry, it’s just so beautiful out.”

“It is no problem. This really is a beautiful city. Have you not seen it during winter before?” _She asked and he burrowed into his sweater sheepishly._

“N-No, not really. It’s usually too cold this time of year for me to go far, so I never really been this far in.”

“Well then, I’ll take the scenic route.” _The stage manager replied and the boys smile grew._

“Thank you Lat-“

_He was cut off by a loud grumble and hugged his stomach, flushing in embarrassment. The woman merely chuckled though, eyes scanning the streets in front of them._

“It is rather early, isn’t it? Let’s find something to eat, shall we?”

_With the same efficient she brought to work every day, Leticia swiftly located an open café for them, parking the car and dragging her shy companion in with her out of the cold. She could see Julian fidgeting nervously behind her as she spoke to the hostess and requested a table out of the way, the two eventually finding themselves tucked away in the corner beside a window. As she folded her coat over her chair, Leticia watched the janitor. He was looking around the cozy shop with an equal mixture of excitement and anxiety, and it was clear he wasn’t used to being around so many people. She almost feared how he’d react once the holiday crowds hit. Well, they’d simply have to cross that bridge when they found it._

“Good morning, can I get you two some drinks?”

_Julian jumped a little as the waitress appeared beside them, smiling and laying a pair of menus down in front of them._

“Ah, j-just a water please.” _He replied and Leticia gave a little chuckle, ordering a juice. Despite her worries, there was something refreshing about Julian’s reactions of discover about the world as he encountered it. The young woman quickly returned with their drinks and pulled a pen from her pocket, clicking it and readying her notepad._

“Do you know what you’d like?” _She asked, turning to Julian and the boy once again withered under her friendly gaze._

“Oh, I’m not feeling very hungry right now. Thank you anyway.” _He hurriedly replied and Leticia rolled her eyes. This boy..._

“And you miss?”

“Two breakfast platters.” _The stage manager replied, glancing over at Julian for a moment and giving the waitress a meaningful look. The young woman seemed to get the message and subtly winked as she wrote the order down._

“Thank you! Your food should be out shortly.”

_She nodded and turned back to her companion, striking up casual conversation to keep him distracted. At first it was simple things, like favorite colors and such, but soon it involved into something far more interesting. Despite the fact that he’d lived in the tower for lord knows how long, it had never really occurred to Leticia how many little inside facts Julian actually knew about the show, beyond even her own knowledge. As it turns out, no one knew where the singing saws had originally come from. Apparently Julian himself had found them in an old dusty portion of the prop wing and cleaned them up. It wasn’t till after during one of his many pre-show walks that John had heard them playing for the janitor and though of incorporating them into the show._

_The young man was halfway through recounting his first encounter with the Orkestral when the waitress reappeared, hoisting two large platters atop her tray. She swiftly plunked them down before the two and shot them a smile._

“Here you go, two breakfast platters! Please enjoy! Oh, and just let me know if you need anything.” _She chirped before making a hasty retreat as another group came through he doors._

_As Leticia untied her silverware, she watched for the janitor’s reaction. It was one of confusion certainly, his head cocked at the food as he wondered why it had been set in front of him. The answer suddenly seemed to hit him and he glanced up at the woman across from him._

“Wait, did you get this for...Oh! Oh, it’s alright, I’m really not-“ _He was cut off as the stage manager swiftly stabbed a piece of egg and stuffed it into his mouth, giving him a look that said to just try and fight her on this. He blinked a few times and swallowed, before timidly picking up his own cutlery and digging in._

_The rest of their meal with quiet, but by the end Leticia could see how just the simply addition to his diet had seemed to re-energize him. The young man’s eyes seemed brighter and more alert, his movements wider and less hesitant. He gave her a quiet word of thanks and a smile as she paid and they set out once more. If anything, he seemed more obsessed with his surroundings than he had been before and she found herself answering a barrage of questions as he pointed out various sights and asked about them. By the time they reached the shopping district, Leticia was feeling about ready for another cup of coffee. Finally finding a parking spot, she stopped the car and stepped out, pulling her coat tighter against the wind._

“Alright Julian, we’re here.”

_The janitor glanced over at the storefront and went still, eyes wide. Even for someone relatively new to the wonders of the city, he recognized the name Le Bon Marché. Suddenly self-conscious, he glanced down at his own worn clothes and then back up at the stage manager in worry._

“Um, Latica? Are you sure I can...well, you know. I’m not exactly the most stylish. Maybe I should just stay here...”

“Oh no you don’t.” _She replied, swiftly moving around to the cars other side and pulling the young man to his feet._

“I had to carry you down every stair in the tower. You can carry a few bags. Now let’s go. Dépêchons-nous.”

_Julian gave a worried noise, but obeyed her command regardless as she started for the doors._

_Once they were inside, she made a beeline for the men’s department, the janitor following her like a lost puppy. She paused to fish through a rack, casting a question to the boy behind her as she scanned over the clothes._

“Julian, what size are you?”

“W-What?” _He stuttered, startled by her sudden attention and she glanced back at him with a no-nonsense expression._

“What size.”

_The boy swallowed nervously, rattling off a few numbers and she nodded, going back to her search. The poor man trailing cluelessly behind her, she wove through the racks and shelves, stopping occasionally to whisk something into her arms. Finally she slowed, glancing down at her haul and nodded once more in satisfaction, before quickly rounding on Julian. The young man jumped a tad as she abruptly shoved the clothing into his arms and began to steer him towards a dressing room._

“Alright, that should be a good starting point. Go try those on.” _She commanded and the janitor’s jaw dropped open as he finally realized what was happening._

“Wha-?! Oh, no! Leticia I can’t take thi-!” _He began to argue, quickly clamming up as she gave a huff and rolled her eyes._

“Oh would you stop being so humble for once? Just think of them as an early gift. Now. Go. Change.” _She replied, giving him another push and the boy’s mouth curled up into a little smile._

_She parked herself across from the door like some sort of guard as Julian disappeared into one of the dressing rooms, patiently waiting as she listened to the quiet rustling and shuffling from outside. Few people appeared to be in the store at the moment, with it being early in the day, but she still glared at anyone who wandered in, easily scaring them off without a word. Eventually she heard the lock on the door click and the janitor peeked out around it with a hesitant expression._

“Come on out Julian. Let me get a good look.” _She softly requested and he held his breath as he shyly stepped out of hiding. As the lights hit him, a smile broke across her face._

_He’d chosen a light smoke colored dress shirt and darker waistcoat, a pair of golden suspenders stretched over his shoulders. Finally in something that actually fit his thin frame, he looked great. Hell, even more than good._

_Still, there was something missing._

“Not bad.” _The woman praised him, and the young man relaxed with a sigh._

“Now, let’s see what else you’ve got.”

_The next few hours swept by in a blur, the stage manager giving the thumbs up for certain items and vetoing others. The dressing room would have been better off having a revolving door at the rate she had him changing, only abandoning her post occasionally to go snatch up a different size or color._

“Alright Julian, what have you got for me next?” _She called out, leaning on the stack of ‘keeps’ that had assembled beside her._

“One second! Darn laces...” _He chirped back, his shadow swaying beneath the door as he knelt. Finally it shifted again and with a click the door swing open._

_If Leticia’s grin had been wide before, now it was head-splitting._

_He was dressed in slender slacks and a pair of Oxfords shined to a mirror like gleam, hanging tight to his legs and accenting their slenderness. The main event however was the sweater he wore. It sported an intricate cable knit, the sleeves hanging comfortable loose before narrowing at the cuffs and a thick cowl neckline draped around his throat. The fabric was fine and a rich burnt orange hue, shimmering the tiniest bit in the light.  Whatever it was, it looked regal and clearly expensive. Not that that mattered. Hell, it could have been made of cashmere for all she cared, she was buying it. Because for the first time in their entire little fashion show, the boy looked completely comfortable in his own skin. At her expression he turned to look in the nearby mirror and lit up when he saw his reflection._

“Perfect.” _Leticia declared, giving a definitive little clap of her hands as she stood._

“Now, let’s get all this bundled up and get on our way. The day is young and there’s still plenty to do.”

_Julian seemed a bit sad to relinquish the outfit to her, but quickly brightened up when she pressed the tower of ‘gifts’ into his arms. His smile made her chest warm and suddenly the world seemed so much more wonderful as they stepped from the dressing room._

_The feeling didn’t last long._

_The instant they exited the secluded alcove, the wall of noise hit them and the two blinked in shocked unison, looking out over the veritable sea of people. Craning to see, Leticia spotted a clock nearby and gave a quiet curse. They’d just hit the stores normal morning rush, a phenomenon that was only intensified by the date. Taking a deep breathe to summon her courage, the woman gave a wave for the young man to follow and began stalking along the floods edge. Her sharp eyes quickly spotted a thinning spot amongst the rush and she darted for it, Julian nervously stumbling along behind her. Before they could hit the other side however, the crowd seemed to whip itself into a frenzy, and they found themselves in the center of the storm. Suddenly they were being thrown this way and that by the bulk of the people around them, Julian being shoved against her back one moment and then dragged away the next._

_Oh god, what if they managed to get separated? John would never forgive her if she managed to lose their precious janitor. As though on instinct, she grabbed his hand, tightly twinning their fingers together. He glanced at her in surprise and she gave him a reassuring nod before turning back to the flood before them._

“Julian, make sure you don’t lose your hat.”

_With that they set forth, Leticia pushing her way through the crowd with a practiced ease that was almost more terrifying to the young man than the chaos unfolding around them._

_Suddenly the idea that that idiot of a network president had been thoroughly impressed enough for even his hazy brain to wrap around the idea of hiring her made a lot more sense..._

*

“Are...Are shopping trips always that terrifying?” _Julian wheezed, laying limp beneath a mound of gift bags in the front seat._

“Not usually.” _The stage manager nonchalantly replied, tucking a few of the larger gifts into the trunk and coming around to relieve the boy of his brightly colored burden._

“On that note, remind me never to bring you out during Black Friday.”

_The poor young man didn’t even have enough energy to look scared at the statement and by the time Leticia started the car he had dozed off. She chuckled, reaching over to pat him on the head as she pulled out onto the road. There was still a few hours before the party began, so the time to get ready had arrived._

_The trip to the apartment was a quiet one and the stage manager was gentle when she reached over to shake the janitor awake._

“Julian...we’re here.”

_The young man roused easily enough, but almost face-planted into the ground the instant he stepped out of the car. Leticia sighed and elected to help him, carefully guiding the drowsy man into the apartment in lou of retrieving the packages._

“Tish? Is that y-oh!”

_The young woman who had popped out of the kitchen at their entrance threw a hand over her mouth in surprise, then broke into a beaming smile as she rushed over to them._

“You must be Julian! Tish has told me so much about you!”

_Julian glanced over at Leticia for help, obviously overwhelmed by the living bundle of energy before him._

“Julian, this is my partner Melody.” _She announced and the boy’s face lit up at the realization._

“O-oh, of course! I-It’s a pleasure to meet you.” _He replied, giving her a polite nod and the woman looked over at Leticia with a smirk._

“Ooooo, quite the charmer we’ve got here. I can see why you-knows-who had their eye on him.”

“Er, what?” _Julian asked and from behind him Leticia gave the universal gesture of ‘shut up’._

“Oh, nothing. Do you two want some tea? I was just about to make a fresh pot.”

“Ah, yes please, if it’s not too much trouble. But what were you saying about-?”

_Before he could finish his question she had disappeared back into the kitchen and Leticia gave him a pat on the shoulde_ r.

“Don’t mind her, she’s a terrible gossip. Now then, if you’d like to clean up before the party, the bathroom is right down that hall. Help yourself to whatever’s in there. The towels are in the closet across from it.”

_Seeming to have just been waiting for an exit from the befuddling situation, he gave a short word of thanks and disappeared down the hall. There was sound of shuffling from the hall closet, then the creak of hinges in need of oiling as he slipped into the bathroom._

_With the young man out of earshot, Leticia gave a sigh and followed her girlfriend into the kitchen. She drew up behind the other woman and wrapped her arms around her, hooking her chin over her shoulder and giving a slightly too tight squeeze. When the other woman glanced over at her, she gave a strained smile that held an undercurrent of wanting to smack the brunette upside the head._

“Melody, mon amour. Please don’t go around spilling a certain someone’s deepest darkest secrets to the object of his affections. Lord knows the circus is just held together with glue and string as it is. Who knows what would happen if that little tidbit of knowledge started floating around unsupervised.”

‘Oh, don’t worry. I know how to keep my lips zipped.” _The girl replied with a grin._

“Besides, he seems a bit...well, oblivious, to be frank.”

“...Well, you’re not exactly wrong.”

_When Julian emerged close to an hour later, he was scrubbed so thoroughly he almost seemed to gleam and smelled faintly of cherry blossoms. Ooo, nice choice._

_He joined them at the table and either he’d completely forgotten their previous interaction, or had simply decided not to pry. Instead, they let the conversation take them where it wished, and soon the clock was tolling, the party close to come. They set about their final prep, Melody giving an enthusiastic thumbs up to the well-dressed pair, and with one last kiss to her girlfriends cheek, they were out the door. The sun was hovering on the horizon as they made their way through the city, large fluffy flakes of snow beginning to fall. Moving out towards the hillier portion of town, the traffic thinned, and soon it was just the two of them cruising along through the twilight._

_As they wound up the long curving road leading to their host’s home, Leticia became aware of a soft rhythmic tapping from somewhere within the car. Glancing over, she found her companion staring down at his lap, expression troubled, fingers nervously tapping a staccato rhythm against his armrest._

“Alright, what is it this time?” _She asked, and this time he didn’t even seem surprised, just giving a sigh._

“Just...nervous. “ _He muttered._

“Well, don’t be. You know everyone who’s going to be in that house. It’s not like you’re going to be mingling with a bunch of strangers.”

“Well, yeah, but-“

_Before he could finish they crested the top of a hill and were practically blinded by the light coming from the building before them. Julian threw up his hands to block it while Leticia merely squinted and steered them through the front gate and to a stop beside the row of cars at the door. Blinking away the spots in his vision, Julian looked up and couldn’t help but gasp. The building before them could be described as nothing less than a mansion, polished and gleaming in the last light of day. If the janitor hadn’t felt out of place before, he certainly did now. Seeing his, to be honest, slightly terrified expression, Leticia gave a sigh and climbed from the car, moving around to his side, and manhandling him out of the seat._

“We’re already here, no backing out now.” _She declared and marched them to the front door._

_The foyer was just as resplendent as the outside, the large crystal chandelier hanging above casting glittering lights about as they draped their coats on the nearby rack._

“Leticia, Julian!”

_They turned to see John striding in from the adjoined room, arms spread wide in greeting. His gleaming smile lacked its normal forced showmanship, instead seeming as warm and inviting as the house itself._

“So good to see you both! We were beginning to think you’d gotten lo-!“

_His joke stammered off as Julian turned fully towards him and his gaze finally took in the boy as a whole. As they watched, his eyes grew wide, skin flushing red and jaw dropping open a tad in shock. The host looked as though he’d just witnessed the damn rapture, his mind barely able to wrap around what he was seeing. Julian shifted restlessly under his gaze, brows furrowing slightly in concern as one of the man’s hands slowly came up to settle over his heart, the healthy dose of awe in his expression unfortunately lost on the poor boy. Throwing Leticia a confused look, he inched closer to the older man, hand cautiously reaching out for him._

“Mr. Cameron? Are you alright?”

_His words seemed to break the host out of his stupor and the man gave several fast blinks, mouth flapping open and closed like a fish out of water as he tried desperately to string a cohesive sentence together._

“Ah...I...you...”

_He suddenly clammed up and, with all the well-honed grace of a true showman, promptly turned on his heel and fled back the way he’d come._

“Ah, Mr. Cameron!” _Julian exclaimed, making a grab for him and missing by a mile. As the host disappeared around the corner the janitor turned to Leticia, expression panicked._

“Leticia, w-what did I do?! Was it something I said?”

_The woman calmly shook her head, patting the young man on the shoulder in an attempt to ease him._

“Non, non. No need to worry Julian. John is simply being... well, John. This is nothing new. Well, at least not to me. Just go enjoy the party, I’ll go get him. The living room is straight through that door and to the right.” _She replied, giving him a little push towards said doorway. The young man glanced apprehensively over his shoulder at her, fiddling nervously with the cuffs of his sweater._

“A-Are you sure?”

“Oui, je suis. Now off you go. Shoo shoo.”

_She waved him off into the corridor like a skittish cat before setting off on her own task._

_Suddenly overcome with shyness, the young man slowly made his way down the sprawling main hall, eyes flicking from place to place in wonder. Everywhere he looked was expensive trinkets, fine architecture and memorabilia of one sort or another. Finally a flicker of sound caught his ears and he inched towards a wide doorway, peeking inside. The apparently living room was large and sprawling, populated by a number of decorations. A large blue spruce stood off to one side, decorated to the nines with lights and baubles, a large fireplace with a roaring blaze a bit away from it. In addition there was a large table populated by a number of drinks and snacks, a number of comfortable chairs and a couch just beyond it. And milling about the place were handful of show members. To be exact, Jacque, François and Pierre._

_The poor young man felt his hairs stand on end, suddenly overcome by nervousness. Maybe if he just left before they noticed..._

_Before he could as much as duck behind the door, Jacque glanced over, his face lighting up when he spied the new partier._

“Ay, Julian!”

_The janitor finally gave up on trying to escape the situation, stepping out from behind the doorway as the stage hand swiftly made his way over._

“Wasn’t sure you was gonna show up. Ay, lookin good!” _He cheerfully declared, giving Julian an impressed once over._

“So, Tish bring ya over?”

“Y-Yeah.” _He sheepishly replied and the stage hand looked around._

“Where is she anyway? Haven’t seen her yet tonight.”

“O-Oh, she went to look for Mr. Cameron. He ran off to do something right after we got here.”

“Eh, I’m sure they ain’t getting up to much. Probably sortin the wine cellar or something.” _The taller man replied with a shrug. With that he grinned and wrapped an arm around Julian’s shoulders, pulling him toward the other waving crew members._

“C’mon, let’s get you settled in. Party’s just starting!”

_His excitement was infectious and Julian couldn’t help but smile and relax as he was led._

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m sure they’re fine.”

*

“Leticia, what did you do to him!?” _John stammered behind the hand clasped over his mouth, eyes still wide and face ablaze as he ran a hand through his hair_.

“Oh calmez-vous. All I did was get him some new clothes. You’re the one who demanded proper dress.” _The stage manager replied, waving a hand dismissively as she leaned back beside him. She’d found him in the kitchen, pacing circles around the island as he slowly seemed to have yet another breakdown. She’d managed to wrangle him long to get him to stop wearing a rut in the floor and the two were now leaned against the counter together, the host bent forward over it and staring at the marble as though it would provide him answers whilst she casually examined one of the bottles of wine beside her. At her sass his head snapped around with a glare to look at her, voice a conspiratorial hiss as he replied._

“Yes, but I just expected for you to get him something that actually fit properly, not somehow transform him into the most attractive person on the planet!”

“Oh non my friend, that part was all you. I have no control over the whims of your heart.” _She replied with a smirk and he stared at her with a deadpan expression, hand pausing in its path through his hair. His locks had been certifiably mussed by now, his fiddling pulling them from their normal neatly combed style. After a few moments he gave a long, deep-suffering sigh and leaned across her for one of the wine bottles._

“I’m not nearly drunk enough for this.”

“Oh no you don’t.” _She quipped, snatching it out of his grasp and holding it out of reach._

“If you’re facing feelings tonight, you’re doing it sober.”

_The host pouted at her, looking up through his eyelashes in his best kicked puppy impression._

“...Or at least wait till the rest of us are drunk as well. That way I won’t need to worry about managing this disaster in the making.”

“Oh, why thank you so much for that vote of confidence Tish.” _He sarcastically replied, the sympathetic act dropping away in place of a cocked eyebrow and unimpressed frown. She chuckled, deftly popping the bottle open and taking a swig._

“Anytime mon ami.”

*

“So then, I look this guy in the eye and say- Whoa, watch it kid!”

_Jacques shout reached Julian a second to late and he choked and hacked as the glass of whiskey he’d accidentally grabbed seared its way down his throat. He quickly dropped the alcohol back on the table beside his actual cup of sparkling cider and doubled over, practically coughing up a lung. The trio of men seated around him burst into laughter, Jacque firmly patting him on the back in a weak attempt to help._

“Really packs a punch, don’t it?” _Pierre smirked, eyes glittering mirthfully and Julian smiled sheepishly, finally managing to get his coughing under control._

“Be glad you just got a sip.” _Jacque chuckled, plucking his glass off the table._

“This is the good Scottish stuff. A decent mouthful would have knocked you on your ass.”

_With that he threw back a good quarter of it in one go and the others cheered, Julian a tad hoarsely, as he swallowed it down with apparent ease._

“What’s going on in here?”

_The group turned to see Leticia and John stepping through the doorway. When the woman saw them, her eyes narrowed._

“You three had better be behaving yourselves...” She warned and Jacque chuckled, obviously unfazed by her threat.

“Aw, chill out Tish.  We weren’t doin nothin. Just though it was about time to introduce the kiddo to the wonders of alcohol.”

_At his response the woman facepalmed with frustrated noise, giving a grumble of “I do not need to deal with you all being drunk as skunks tonight...”, while their host just looked plain alarmed with the concept of the janitor consuming hard drinks. As Leticia stalked over to do god knows what, Julian carefully crept away from what was no doubt about to become a massacre and made his way over to John’s side._

“Um, hello Mr. Cameron.” _He greeted him and the man gave a chuckle._

“Please Julian, you’re a guest in my own home. Just call me John.” _He replied with a smile and the smaller man fidgeted._

“Oh, of course. Thank you for inviting me Mr. C- er, John.” _The boy replied, stuttering around the name in the same uncomfortable way a child might should they get the same request from their teacher._

“It was my pleasure. How are you holding up this evening?”

“Oh, I’m alright. I just feel a bit...out of place. I...I don’t come to things like this very often.” _He sheepishly admitted, and John nodded in understanding, glancing away to check on things in the Leticia corner of the world. She currently had both François and Pierre in her grip, one of their ears in each hand, and seemed to be quietly berating them, Jacque having managed to partially avoid the attack by getting a chair between himself and her. John shook his head, suddenly feeling an even stronger need for a drink. One day of peace, that’s all he asked for..._

“Um, J-John? Are you alright?

“Hm? What do you mean?” _The older man asked, tilting his head in confusion._

“Well, you kind of, um...ran off earlier.”

_The host gave a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose, now thrust into the role of sheepish one._

“Oh, right. I must apologize for that. I realized something I needed to do and hurried off to deal with it. It hadn’t even occurred to me how rude it may see from an outsider’s perspective. You must think me a terrible host.”

“Oh, not at all! I think you’re doing a wonderful job.” _Julian chirped and John gave a smile._

“I thank you for that Julian. Still I feel I must repay you. How would you like the grand tour?” _The man asked and the boy nodded enthusiastically, pulling a chuckle from his companion._

“Well then, just follow me.”

_For the next hour plus, John lead the excitable young man from room to room, pointing out interesting trinkets and keepsakes with the same captivating flare that he used each night on the show. Eventually they found themselves outside, wandering through the hibernating garden as John explained the inspiration behind the properties architecture. They walked beneath a covered pathway, but the growing drifts of snow sweeping across the landscape still spilled into the shelter and licked at their feet. In the middle of recounting his acquisition of a Greek statue, a sudden gust of wind cut the host off, the already heavy snow beginning to fall even more steadily._

“Hmm, it’s beginning to look a bit rough. Perhaps it would be wise to make our way back inside. The front door should be closest. Right this way.”

_As the two men circled around the edge of the house and neared the front entry, John paused and glanced back out towards the main gate, brow furrowing._

“Hmm, that could be a problem.”

“Huh? Problem?” _Julian asked, glancing over as well and quickly spotting the issue. A thick coat of glittering white had efficiently covered the metal structure and the road leading away._

“I believe we may just be snowed in.” _John declared and Julian’s brow furrowed in concern._

“But how will we get home then?”

“Hmm, I imagine you’d just need to spend the night. No matter, there’s plenty of spare rooms to choose from. Now then, it’s probably best we get inside.”

“...Wait, stay the night?!” _Julian squeaked as the words finally registered, whirling around and following the retreating figure. Head still spinning with the implication of what the man had said, he deposited his coat back on the rack and trailed the host back to the living room. The other men were still in one piece, which was reassuring, though François and Pierre had fled to the opposite side of the room from Leticia, casting nervous glances her way every so often._

“A-Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to intrude...” _Julian muttered, keeping pace with John as the man crossed to the refreshment table and began fiddling with the drinks._

“Oh nonsense. What kind of host would I be to kick my guests out into the snow? Of course you’re welcome-Would you like a glass?” _The older man suddenly cut himself off, turning to the janitor and holding up a bottle of champagne. The younger man tilted his head at it curiously, before throwing cation to the wind and nodding. The host produced two glasses and filled them with a practiced ease, offering one to the smaller and holding his own up._

“To another hopefully successful year.” _He announced and Julian smiled, clinking his glass to the offered one before taking a sip. It tickled his throat, but didn’t burn the same way the whiskey had, and he let the sweet liquid sit on his tongue for a few moment before swallowing and taking another. He and John fell into casual conversation and soon they had finished half a dozen glasses between the two of them, a slight pleasant warmth settling in the youngers chest. The janitor knew a great many things, but evidently pacing wasn’t one of them...Oh, stop your pouting._

_Across the room they heard Leticia give a scoff and turned to look her way. The woman was gazing at Jacque in fond exasperation, rolling her eyes. The man was dozing in an armchair near the fire, head held up with one hand while from the other loosely dangled an empty crystal tumbler. The stage manager shook her head, leaning closer to him and speaking._

“Jacque.”

_The stagehand jerked awake, nearing dropping the glass as he half choked on a snore._

“Snerk-huh? Wh-Whatcha want?” _He asked drowsily, yawning into his hand._

“If you are so tired, just go to bed.” _The woman replied and the man tilted his head at her in confusion._

“Bed? I ain’t driving home in this shit.”

“I meant your bed here you fool.” _She replied with another eyeroll, and Julian glanced at John questioningly. Before his question could be uttered, he was interrupted by Jacques rough laugh._

“Nah, this party’s just getting started! I can’t tap out just yet!”

“Well then, I’m cutting you off at the very least. If you plan on lasting much longer, you need to stop drinking like it’s the end of the world.”

“Aw comeon Tish! You know I never get to have the good stuff!”

_As the two set about bickering over the bottle of whisky between them, Julian leaned over to John._

“His ‘bed here’? What is she talking about?” _He quietly asked and the host gave a small noise of realization._

“Ah, that’s right. No one’s ever mentioned it.”

_Turning to pour himself more champagne, he explained._

“You see, I have a few rooms here at the house set up for the other members of the crew. They’ve spent enough time here that referring to them as “guest rooms” became a bit of a moot point.”

_Turning back, he found Julian gazing at him with an adoring expression._

“Oh Mr. Cameron! That’s so kind!”

_The older man flushed a bit at the praise, not even seeming to notice the name slip as he glanced bashfully into his glass._

“Oh, it’s really not anything to write home about...”

“Of course it is! You opened your home to them and it’s clear you really care. How can that not be special?” _The janitor insisted, gently touching the taller man’s arm_.

_John’s smile was just a tad dorky as he beamed down into his glass, his heart pounding in his chest. Perhaps it was the champagne finally getting to him, but a warm confidence settled in his bones and he found himself setting the glass aside._

“Julian, I want to show you something.”

_The younger man tilted his head in curiosity as the host waved for him to follow and set off deeper into the house. He hurried to follow, trailing along behind as John lead him through a tangle of halls and up a staircase. They finally stopped before a thick set of oak doors. This was a section of the house they hadn’t visited earlier, and so Julian found himself glancing around in curiosity. John’s smile grew at his companion’s enthusiasm, waving a hand to catch his attention._

“Right through here.”

_With that he pushed the doors open and stepped inside, Julian following and sucking in a breath when he saw the room._

_It was a bedroom, wide and open with thick soft carpeting, decorated in purple and silver. A huge window seat on the far end of the room looked out over the garden, quite the view, and a door off to the side no doubt lead to an equally impressive bathroom. The true highlight of the space though was the bed. It was full and dressed in royal curling patterns, one look telling him sleeping on it would be like laying on a cloud. Even more impressive was the mural stretching up the wall behind it and spilling out onto the city. It depicted the Paris skyline at night, the few areas of it cast into shadow glowing with florescent paint, revealing a brilliant starscape. In a wide arc around the bed hung a shimmering curtain, pulled back for the moment but easily capable of capsuling the sleeping space should the user wish a bit more privacy._

“What do you think?”

_The host softly rang out, his voice shy and hopeful, and Julian turned to him with a slightly confused smile._

“It’s wonderful. But why are you...?”

_He froze when he saw the gentle look John was observing him with and something seemed to click. His eyes went wide, looking around the room once more._

“Wait, is this...?”

“You’re a member of the crew aren’t you?” _The host asked and Julian felt his eyes grow glassy. A little sniffle was all the warning John got before he was suddenly locked in a tight hug, a curly haired head buried in his chest._

“Oh, Mr. Cameron! Thank you so much! I love it!” _Came the muffled cry and he chuckled, patting the younger man on the head as he returned the embrace._

“What did I say about calling me that?” _He teased, but couldn’t help but chuckle as Julian pulled away and began to examine the details of the space with a new vigor._

_Little did he know about the circumstances that lead to the room coming to be. A week after Julian’s return the host had woken up in a cold sweat, the image of a still body in a pool of red haunting his dreams. Unable to sleep he’d come to the unused room just down from his own and set to work like a man possessed. He’d come to work the next day swaying like a leaf in the wind and barely staying on his feet, but his goal was complete. He had a place for the boy. A place for him to belong, when he could rest and be watched over. A place where John could keep him safe._

_(Of course, the host had been chickening out on telling him about it for months now, but Julian didn’t need to know that.)_

“Let me know if there’s anything you’d like to change. The bed, drapes, hell even the wallpaper. Anything you want. This room is yours now.

“Oh no, it’s perfect just the way it is! No need to go out of your way on my account.” _The recipient replied and John playfully rolled his eyes. Humble as always this one. He watched as Julian turned and dropped onto his back upon the bed, sighing contently as he sunk into the plush bedding and mattress. With a smile he came to sit beside him, leaning back on his hands in order to keep sight of the younger man’s face._

“Well, you certainly seem to be having fun.”

“Oh, of course! This is the best party I’ve been to since I was a kid!” _Julian replied, looking over at him with a smile. John regarded him quizzically, tilting his head._

“Well that’s certainly some high praise. If I remember correctly, you mention you don’t go to a lot of events, so at least this one will have been memorable.”

_The janitor chuckled nervously and glanced away, fingers fiddling with the fabric of the comforter._

“Um, well yes. The last one was... well, one of my great grandfathers actually. I, uh, I don’t really get invited to things often...Or at all...”

_As he spoke his expression fell and John felt his heart clench. He knew bits and pieces about the boy’s past, but the overall story was still a mystery to him. With each piece he uncovered though, the picture seemed to become more and more grim. If only he could..._

“It doesn’t have to be that way.”

_Julian paused, glancing over at the host in surprise. The older man seemed just as surprised about the outburst and merely watched back as the janitor stared at him in confusion._

“W-What do you mean?”

_Seeming to snap out of his shock, the older man looked down, fiddling with his hands._

“Well, you’re a part of the show now. A part of us. You’re always welcome.”

_He felt the bed shift and looked over to see Julian sitting up, his expression growing uncertain before slipping into a sad smile._

“Oh, Mr Cameron. I appreciate it, I really do. But you don’t have to go out of your way just to make me feel-“

_The host’s expression suddenly turned determined and he cut the younger man off with a soft hand on his arm._

“No, Julian. I won’t hear it. We care about you. **I** care about you. More than you could ever know. I don’t know what happened to you in the past. And whether you ever choose to tell us is your choice and yours alone. But I won’t let what you went through back then define the future. You’re safe now. And I’m going to make sure it says that way.”

_The room went silent, not a single word nor breath breaking the still air as they stared at each other. John watched as the eyes of the man before him slowly filled with tears, mouth moving wordlessly as he tried to wrap his mind around what he’d just heard. Finally a tiny sob escaped him, a hand shakily lifting to try and swipe the tears away._

“I...I...”

_Before he could say another word, John wrapped him up in his arms and pulled him close._

“I’ve got you Julian. I’ve got you.”

_With that the janitor began to cry in earnest, clinging to the older man tightly and burying his face in the host’s collar. Despite the tears though, a happy, even relieved smile was stretched across his lips. John pushed himself further up the bed and settled his back against the headboard, pulling the smaller man along with him. Now that he took the time to notice, he found the boy to be surprisingly light for his size, almost concerning so. Perhaps he shouldn’t be surprised, considering how little he’d ever seen the janitor eat. They’d need to rectify that. But not now. Right now he was content to pull the younger man into his lap and hold him, rubbing circles into his spine as he rested his cheek against the others soft hair._

“Thank you...” _Julian whispered, voice muffled by the fabric of John’s shirt and the host nodded softly, shifting his grip to hold the other closer._

_After a few minutes the younger’s sniffling faded and he lifted his head to wipe away the mess of tears on his face._

“Sorry, I got your shirt all wet.” _He apologized, noticing the large damp spot on the fabric and the recipient smiled._

“It doesn’t matter, as long as you’re alright. I have about 10 more in the closet anyway.”

_Before John could release him from the embrace however the janitor settled back down, laying his head on the host’s shoulder and sheepishly avoiding eye contact._

“Um, do you...do you think we could just stay like this for a bit?” _He muttered, receiving only a tiny chuckle and the arms around him tightening as a reply._

_They stayed that way for what felt like hours, one or the other shifting occasionally into a more comfortable pose. John was beginning to wonder if the others even realized they were gone when a sleepy sounding mumble met his ears._

“You’re really warm.”

_He looked down to find the boy in his lap in a half doze, probably having not even realized he spoke. He looked up at the host’s movement and his drowsy expression was so adorable that John couldn’t help but smile._

“Yes, I’ve been told that. If you think I’m bad though, you should try sitting next to Tish during the summer. You’d start to think the woman was spawned from the pits of the underworld itself.”

_Julian laughed. It was a light, musical sort of noise and John felt his heart thud heavily in his chest, face flushing a bit. Had their faces always been this close? The smaller man smiled at him and the host eyes slid closed a bit. It was as though a spell had been cast over them, the rest of the world fading away._

“Juli-“

_Before his whisper could be fully uttered the man in his arms leaned up and pressed their lips together. The kiss was soft and slow, but John felt as though fireworks were exploding in his chest, sending a rush of warmth out through his limbs. He pulled the janitor even closer, closing up what little space had remained between them, and leaned to accommodate the height difference. A hand tangled in his shirt, officially ruffling the garment beyond the point of fixing, but he couldn’t have cared less, burying one of his own hands in the man’s curly locks as the kiss became a tad more heated. A hand found its way to the smaller’s waist, fingertips slipping beneath the very edge of sweater to stroke gently at the soft skin beneath and the young man gave a pleased shiver._

_Eventually though, the need for air became too much and they pulled apart, breath mingling as they gazed at each other. Julian’s eyes were drowsy and soft and John had to fight the urge to pepper kisses across the boy’s face._

_As he watched the smaller man’s gaze seemed to clear of its sleepy haze a bit and he stared at the host for a long moment. Then his eyes flashed open wide and with a gasp he threw himself backwards across the bed away from the older man._

“Oh my god! I-I-I-!” _He stammered and John straightened, gazing at him in confusion. As he watched the younger looked down at the sheets with wide, distressed eyes, running a hand nervously over his hair as his face went pale._

“Why did I do that? Why did I do that?! Oh god, he’d gonna be so mad...!”

_He began to frantically talk to himself under his breath and the host leaned closer, becoming increasingly concerned._

“Julian, are you alright?”

_The younger man’s snapped up, suddenly seeming to remember John’s presence in the room, and his face flashed to an even brighter red than it had been before with startling speed._

“Mr. Cameron! I-I didn’t mean to...!”

“No, no Julian it’s ok. I’m-” _He quickly replied, holding up his hands in what he hoped was a calming manner. He carefully reached for the younger man, wanting noting more than to hold him close and banish his worries, but before he could touch him the janitor flinched back._

“I-I’m sorry! I have to go!” _He exclaimed, tripping over his words, and within a split second he’d leapt up off the bed and tore out of the room. The last time the host had seen him move that fast he’d been throwing himself between the foolish man and an angry polar bear, and John felt his heart clench. He rushed to go after him, legs tangling in the ruffled sheets and almost sending him face-planting into the carpet. Stumbling, he almost crashed into the open door as he stumbled out into the hallway, the cry already building in his throat._

“Julian! Julian wai-!”

_He rounded the corner to find an empty hallway and glanced around desperately in search of him. Starting off down a random corridor, he sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him, shouting out for the younger man. Yet there was not a single sign of him, and as John paused wheezing at an intersection, he began to feel his quest was doomed._

“Ugh, curse this huge house!” _He cried to no one in particular, then set off once more. He couldn’t give up like this. He had to set this right._

*

_Julian what are you doing!? He was about to-!_

“I-I can’t do this right now!” _The young man squeaked, cutting off the voice in his head._

“Everything’s moving too fast!”

_He could feel his chest beginning to tighten and his breaths coming shorter. He clutched the front of the sweater as the voice came again, softer this time, as though it were trying to calm a scared animal._

_Julian, please just try to calm down and breath._

_Feeling his panic quickly spiraling out of control, the janitor merely nodded absently to the open air, trying to keep his wits about him. He ducked into the next room he found, instinctually seeking out and squeezing into the nearest small space. Which in this case was the empty space beneath a cabinet. He pulled his legs close to his chest, laying his head against them_

_Don’t worry, you know what to do. Come on boy, deep breaths now._

_Julian shakily nodded a bit, forehead knocking against this knee caps and inhaled deeply, holding it for a few seconds before exhaling. Drumming his fingers nervously against his pants, he continued, eyes slipping closed as he kept count. Inhale, hold for 3, exhale, repeat. Slowly his heartrate calmed, the tension in his muscles unfurling a bit and he slumped back against the wood behind him with a long sigh._

“I’m so stupid.”

_Sometimes, yes. But not now._

“Yes I am. Oh, he’s gonna hate me.”

_And why do you think that?_

“Why do I- I kissed him? Why do you think?!”

_But he kissed back._

“That was just the alcohol. We were both drunk. I never should have taken that drink.”

_He certainly seemed pretty ecstatic about the situation for being in a drunken haze._

_But the janitor elected to ignore his ever so helpful Narrator, instead nervously running fingers through his hair as his thoughts spiraled out of control._

“Oh god, oh god what if he bans me from the show against? What if they finally kick me out altogether? I...I don’t know what to do...”

_The young man began to tear up, wrapping his arms tightly around himself in an attempt at self-comfort._

_Oh, Julian. I’m sure it’ll be fine._

_The janitor opened his mouth one again to argue..._

_Only to be interrupted by the click of hears against tile as someone walked into the kitchen. A pair of legs moved into view, belonging to none other than Leticia, and paused to examine the bottles on the table above._

“Pierre, rose or- eh?”

_Leticia paused just short of the figure sitting beneath the overhang of the alcohol cabinet, just now seeming to notice him. She leaned over a bit to see him better, arching an eyebrow in confusion._

“Julian? Is that you mon amie? What are you doing down there?”

_The young man gave a little sniffle, swiping at his eyes to clear the wetness as he spoke in a quiet murmur._

“Leticia, I messed up.”

_The woman immediately knelt to meet his height, expression one of concern._

“What happened? Where is John?”

“He...He took me to see the bedroom. And I was so happy. But then things got out of hand and...and we...”

_He clammed up, a fresh wave of embarrassment and nervousness sweeping over him at the memory._

“Julian _?” Leticia asked, fully sitting down before him and reaching out to hold his hand. He took a deep breath, his voice barely audible when we spoke._

“We...we kissed.”

_The woman’s eyes went wide at the announcement, realization flickering in her gaze. Expression softening, she took his hand in both of her own, stroking a thumb along the skin._

“Well, that certainly explains a few things. But Julian, it is going to be fine. John won’t be upset.”

“But how do you know that? How do you know he won’t hate me for this?” _The young man replied in despair and the woman smiled reassuringly._

“Well, perhaps I’m not the best to say this, but John-“

“So, which of you kissed the other first?”

_Julian gave a little squeak of a cry as Jacque suddenly stooped into view around the side of the cabinet, expression wide and interested. Leticia turned to him with a very deadpan look of “Really?” and the man shrugged as he crouched down beside them._

“What, I’m just curious! So kid, who was it?” _He replied with a shrug, quickly turning his attention back to Julian. His focus was almost a bit too intense however, simply staring wordlessly at the boy as he waited for him to answer, and Julian felt himself wither under the gaze a bit, voice just short of a whisper when he spoke._

“It...It, uh, it was...me...”

“HA! I KNEW IT!” _the stagehand suddenly shouted, and the janitor jumped hard enough to nearly crack his skull on the underside of the cabinet. Jacque pumping a fist in the air victoriously then turned to Leticia with a grin._

“Alright, you heard him! Pay up!”

_The woman cursed quietly under her breath and reached for her purse, Julian’s mind reeling as it tried it keep up. As he saw the small wad of bills trading hands, something clicked and his eyes went wide._

“Y-You were betting? One who kissed who? But-But how could you possible know we would...?”

_He trailed off, mind reeling as it tried to wrap around the idea, and Leticia sighed._

“In truth, we didn’t. That’s the point of it being a bet. As for why, it’s really not my place, nor any beside John’s, to say.” _She shot a glare at Jacque, who stuck the tip of his tongue out at her playfully. Rolling her eyes, she turned back to the still befuddled Julian._

 “But...But he hated me.”

“Oh, he never hated you.” _Leticia replied, waving a hand about as though to dismiss the notion._

“Found you annoying and infuriating, of course. Generally saw you as a pest, I’m sure we all did at the time. But hate? Never.”

“I...I’m just very confused by all this.”

“Then you’ll need to take it up with John. We may have known each other for years, but I doubt he’d ever forgive me if I revealed too much.”

“...A-Are you two playing a joke on me?” _Julian quietly asked, and at their deadpan silence the whole situation finally sunk in all the way._

“...Y-You’re telling the truth...oh my god...Ok, but you bet on us kissing?? Why??”

_The poor boy just looked plain befuddled by the idea, which certainly wasn’t helped by the nonchalant shrug Jacque gave._

“Ay, we’re stagehands. We’ll bet on anything. We need to do something to keep ourselves occupied. Besides, out of everybody around, you two just had the best chemistry. So it was bound to happen at some point, right?”

_His two companions just stared at him for a moment before Leticia gave a sigh, rising into a kneel and offering Julian her hand._

“Come on, let’s get you out of there.”

_As she helped him stand the boy’s head spun, teetering on his feet for a moment as his body finally straightened._

“I...I’m gonna go get some fresh air.”

_They watched as he slowly crossed to the balcony doors and slipped outside, glancing at each other as the door clicked closed._

“Do you think he’s gonna figure it out?

_The snow and wind had calmed when he stepped out into the night air, the soft crunch of snow beneath his feet seeming so loud in the silence. He walked to the edge and leaned against the railing, choosing one of the spots devoid of snow._

“Everything was going so well...” _He muttered, head drooping._

_Oh, this is just a small setback. I’m sure everything will turn out fine._

“You don’t know that. Just...Just be quiet, will you?”

_Oh, fine. Just throw me to the wayside. See if I narrate for you again....But really, it’ll be alright Julian._

“...You always say that...”

*

_John burst into the room looking like a man possessed, hair and jacket in disarray, looking around frantically._

“Where could he be?!”

“Oh, there you are. We were wondering when you’d show up.”

_He looked over at the voice to see Leticia rise from her seat and stride over, giving a once over with cocked eyebrow._

“Well, he certainly did a number on-“

“Leticia! Leticia, Leticia!” _He cut her off, grabbing her biceps in a panic._

“Julian! Have you seen him?!”

_She replied with a nod toward the balcony doors and he turned to see the janitor standing before the railing. He was silhouetted by the snow and moonlight and the host felt himself being drawn towards him._

“Oh and John?”

_He turned to see Leticia watching him with an expression that told him she was deathly serious._

“If you break his heart, I’ll personally beat you to a pulp.”

“...If I do, I’ll be happy to let you Tish.”

*

_He heard the handle of the door click and swing open behind him and paused. Was Leticia or Jacque coming to check on him? Warm air and sounds from inside washed over him for a moment, before the door shut, replaced instead with the crunch of shoes against snow as someone crossed to him. They stopped behind him, the scene quiet aside from a soft rustle of clothing shifting, and he was about to turn to address them when something warm was dropped over his shoulders. He glanced down and froze when he recognized the expensive jacket, hurriedly looking over out the corner of his eye as the owner settled against the railing beside him. He seemed fairly unperturbed by the cold, despite having just shucked off his only defense against the temperature, and folded his forearms against the chilled stone in one of the cleared spots, leaning out slightly to look over the frosted garden and hills._

“Beautiful night, isn’t it?”

_The younger man finally snapped out of his shock and went back to observing the estate._

“Y-Yeah.”

_They fell once more into an awkward silence, both staring out over the landscape and wondering where to go with this whole thing. A long deep sigh finally broke the tension as John slumped tiredly against the railing for a moment before straightening and turning to the boy._

“Julian...”

_The janitor went tense, every muscle tightening. Here it came. The scorn, the rejection. Just like always._

“I’m sorry.”

_Julian let out a little huff of a breath, turning in shock to the other man._

“W-What?”

“I’m sorry.” _He repeated, stepping closer._

“I didn’t mean for things to go as far as they did. And if I upset you or made you uncomfortable, and you’d like me to leave you alone, I completely understand.”

“O-Oh! No, no, it’s fine!” _He hurriedly replied, hands waving about in a tizzy as he stepping forward to meet him._

“If anyone took it too far, it was me. I’m so sorry, I just realized what was happening and...I panicked. I shouldn’t have run off like that.”

_John practically seemed to melt in relief, all the stress he’d been holding in his frame suddenly vanishing._

“I glad to hear that. I feared I might have scared you off. I’m happy to find I was wrong. And what happened back there...I...I don’t regret it.”

_Julian blinked a few times, head tilting a tad quizzically._

“H-Huh?”

_Now it was John’s turn to flush, hands fiddling nervously with the hem of his shirt as his eyes flicked about the younger man’s face._

“Our, uh, the, the...kiss. I don’t regret the kiss. To be honest I’d kind of been...hoping for it?”

_If the janitor hadn’t looked confused before he certainly did now._

“I...I don’t think I understand.”

_The man before him gave a tiny huff of a laugh, expression one of fond amusement as he met the younger’s confused gaze with a warm one._

“I’ve begun to think my attachment to you goes a bit beyond mere friendship. And, if you ever wanted, we could maybe...try that kiss again?”

_Julian went completely and entirely still, staring at him as the gears in his head seemed to turn and stutter._

...

_...Julian?_

_...Juuuulian?_

_..............._

_...Oh dear, I fear that may have broken him._

_...Oh! Oh, wait, he’s moving again._

_The young man’s mouth flapped open and closed wordlessly a few times, a hand shakily lifting to point at himself._

“You’re...you’re interested in...?”

“Yes. Have been for quite a time now, even if I didn’t realize it myself.”

“Oh. Oooooooh...”

_Cupping a hand over his mouth, the janitor flushed all the way to the tip of his ears as pieces began to fall into place. All the sideways looks over the past few months, the overwhelming kindness even when he continued to mess up, basically everything that had happened tonight. It all made sense if John was..._

“Are-are you sure? I’ve just ruined the show so many times and I’m always in the way...” _He quietly asked, nervously fidgeting. John closed the few feet between them, gently setting a hand on the smaller man’s shoulder._

“Quite sure. I know...that I have a bit of a temper. I can be unreasonable, quite often really. I’m a bit of a ‘diva’ if you ask Tish. And, yes, in the past we weren’t on the best of terms. But none of that effects how I feel about you now. And if you don’t feel the same, that’s fine. But...I just needed you to know.”

_He watched as the janitor bit his lip for a moment, burying his face shyly in the neck of his sweater before slowly looking up at him through his eyelashes._

“I...I think I might...feel the same...maybe?”

_Feeling his heart thud heavily in his chest, the host smiled and slid the hand on the younger man’s shoulder up to stroke his thumb along the janitor’s neck, the other digit settling on his hip._

“Would you like some help finding out?”

_A flush that had nothing to do with the cold spreading over his cheeks, Julian slowly raised a hand and cupped John’s cheek with a little smile._

“I’d like that.”

_It was John who leaned in this time, pausing for just a moment the tilt his head before their lips connected. Now fully aware of what was happening, Julian practically melted into his arms, hands gently fisting once more into the front of the man’s dress shirt. The host let out a little content breath, arms wrapping around the young man’s shoulders and waist, drawing the smaller close. Following his lead, Julian slid his arms up and draped them around the man’s neck, one hand stroking his shoulder, the other combing through the back of his hair. He felt John begin to dip him backwards and held on tight, smiling a bit into the kiss. The smile became panicked however as his feet began to slide forward on the icy ground between the man’s own, quickly robbing him of what little balance he had. Sensing his peril, the host quickly shifted his grip lower and scooped him up into his arms, their lips staying on each other’s the entire time as he strode to the railing and settled the younger onto the cold stone._

“John...” _Julian muttered, pulling back a bit from the kiss and the older man grinned at the mention of his name._

“Yes?” _He replied, planting a peck at the corner of the younger’s mouth._

“I have something I need to tell you.”

_The host grew still, his expression troubled, obviously worried of what the janitor might say. Julian lifted a hand to his cheek, stroking his thumb along the curve of the bone beneath and the man relaxed, leaning into his touch. Despite his poise, the younger’s mind was running a million miles a minute. He wasn’t entirely sure why he was about to do what he was, but, well, no time like the present._

“John...I’m the one who finds the acts.”

_The host froze once more, staring wide-eyed at him. Now it was apparently his head the gears were turning in. He slowly blinked a few times and then suddenly slammed the palm of one hand to his forehead with a loud smack._

“I am the world biggest fool.”

“I doubt that.” _The janitor replied playfully._

“Jacque though I was a ghost for a while remember?”

_The older man gave a huff of a laugh and gazed at the smaller fondly, thumbs rubbing little circles in the hollow of his hips._

“Confiding my secret in someone, only to find out that someone id the source of the secret to begin with. Oh the irony.”

“Not any more ironic for falling for the source of your problems.” _The recipient replied, giving a cheeky smile and the host grinned, sliding his hands up the sides of his waist as he leaned in._

“Always a thorn in my side aren’t you?”

_Before they could touch, a burst of wind gusted through and Julian felt the weight of the jacket lift from his shoulders. They paused and watched as it plummeted over the railing, disappearing into the snow far below with a distant “whump”. They stared after it for a moment before both bursting out into laughter, leaning heavily against each other as the residual buzz of alcohol in their systems got the better of them and they were overcome with giggles. They clung to each other, trying to keep their balance on the slippery balcony as they shook and practically turned to jelly with amusement. Finally the two calmed a bit, John tipping his head forward lean his forehead against the smaller’s. Still panting and giggling a tad around his breathes, he looked at the younger man with an expression that could only be called adoration._

“God I love you.”

_The instant the words left his mouth, the host jerked back, holding Julian at arm’s length as he slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide and face blazing. There was a beat of silence between the two. Then the biggest smile he’d ever seen streaked across the younger’s face. As he threw himself into the host’s arms, tearing his hand away and crashing their lips together, he gave a half-sobbed laugh. And as the two finally lost their balance and fell back into a snowbank, they found they couldn’t care less about the damp coldness soaking through to their bones. In fact, they felt warm and safe, as though they were sitting before the roaring fire inside._

_They felt home._

*

_Beyond the glass of the door, unnoticed by the couple, stood a group of onlookers. Françoise and Pierre were grinning like a pair of cats, both reaching over without looking to click their glasses together in celebration, while Jacque looked about ready to start cheering, resorting instead to a giddy little victory dance. Leticia merely watched with a smile, eyes soft with a fondness normally reserved for only the closest of loved ones._

“Well, we’ll be needing another key. Hmm, I certainly seem to have a lot of family for being an only child...”

_She felt a tap on her shoulder and looked back to find Jacque smirking at her, holding out a hand._

“I believe you owe me something?” _He asked cheekily and she sighed, rolling her eyes as she fished another fold of bills out and handed them over to him._

“Oh, fine. How you keep winning theses thing’s I’ll never know.”

“What can I say?” _He replied, grinning impishly as he counted out his winnings._

“I’ve always been good with bets.”

_She shook her head and turned once more to look at the pair silhouetted in moonlight, completely absorbed in each other. As she watched, John pulled back from yet another kiss to place a little pec on Julian’s head, the janitor giving a smile and tucked himself up under the taller’s chin, snuggling in close to him. The host smiled softly, pressing his cheek to the younger man’s hair and slowly stroking a hand and down his back, lids falling half-closed in contentment. And for just a moment his gaze flickered up to the balcony doors._

_He gave a shout when he saw the group watching them, flushing even deeper as his arms flailed about in a vague attempt to hide them both somehow, and Julian turned to see the cause of the commotion, cheeks practically lighting up like the tree in the corner when he spotted their audience._

“D-Don’t just stand there and watch! What’s wrong with you people?!” _John shrieked and Leticia finally couldn’t take it anymore. She burst out laughing, clutching her sides as she leaned against the glass, eyes tearing up in mirthful fondness at the ridiculousness she’d involved herself in._

_Oh what fool these mortals be._

*

_John Cameron’s house has many beds._

_And now there’s one more._

_(Even if its owner prefers John’s own.)_

**Author's Note:**

> Just a bunch of refs for different outfits and settings within the fic! (Some were never actually mentioned, but I had an idea for anyway.)
> 
> Julian's party outfit: https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1Ptq7JVXXXXaJaXXXq6xXFXXX9/2016-font-b-Mens-b-font-Classic-font-b-Design-b-font-Formal-Business-And-Casual.jpg and https://img0.etsystatic.com/033/0/6236310/il_570xN.561311552_ksqm.jpg (but orange)  
> Leticia's party outfit:https://www.jjshouse.com/A-Line-Princess-V-Neck-Asymmetrical-Tulle-Mother-Of-The-Bride-Dress-With-Ruffle-Beading-Sequins-008131615-g131615  
> John's party outfit: http://www.cliftoncharles.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/2.jpg
> 
> Julian's room inspiration: http://www.streambreak.net/fancy-bedrooms/wonderful-fancy-bedrooms-bedroom-boys-master-bedrooms-beautiful-beds-beautiful-bedrooms-all-things-purple-purple-stuff-play-pen-purple-bedrooms-purple-rain.html  
> Julian's bed: http://www.whataboutmimi.com/9888/purple-bed-sets-king-size-06-08-2017/fresh-purple-bed-sets-king-size-37-on-duvet-covers-queen-with-purple-bed-sets-king-size/  
> Leticias room: http://www.aneilve.com/16880-beautiful-king-bedroom-sets/wonderful-beautiful-king-bedroom-sets-pertaining-to-house-decorating-plan-with-enhance-the-king-bedroom-sets-the-soft-vineyard-6-amaza-design/  
> Jacques room: http://www.aneilve.com/16880-beautiful-king-bedroom-sets/lovely-beautiful-king-bedroom-sets-pertaining-to-home-decorating-plan-with-rocks-beautiful-and-bedroom-sets-on-pinterest/  
> Pierre and François room: http://www.aneilve.com/10902-queen-size-bedroom-furniture-sets/wonderful-queen-size-bedroom-furniture-sets-related-to-house-remodel-ideas-with-queen-size-bedroom-furniture-sets-cebufurnitures/  
> Johns room (cause he's a diva): http://cbcgate.com/canopy-bedroom-sets/king-size-bedroom-furniture-sets_poster-bedroom-sets_canopy-bedroom-suite_california-king-canopy-bed/


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